HUDSON COUNTY – State Sen. Nicholas Sacco (D-32nd) , who serves as the chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee, is taking an active role in making sure the upcoming state Department of Transportation Pulaski Skyway construction plan minimizes disruption to the daily lives of Hudson County residents and commuters.

Sacco recently dispatched a staff member to attend a meeting organized by Hudson County Executive Tom DeGise with DOT officials and local elected leaders to monitor the situation and relay constituent concerns.

“The Pulaski Skyway is a vital piece of our region’s transportation infrastructure and it is clearly in desperate need of repair,” said Sacco. “However, this work must be done in a way that minimizes disruptions to peoples’ daily lives, especially here in Hudson County.”

State DOT officials stressed at the meeting that final traffic mitigation plans are still being developed and the agency will be using the next year to analyze all options and take input from both elected officials and local residents, Sacco said.

The project is currently scheduled to start in 2014 and will involve a two-year closure of an important approach road to the Holland Tunnel, potentially disrupting thousands of commuters’ routines and causing additional traffic on local streets.

“It is important for elected officials and the public to have a voice in the DOT’s decision-making process and I thank the county executive for organizing this meeting and for his leadership on the issue,” said Sacco. “I have directed my staff to continue working with the DOT to ensure that all options are considered and that residents’ concerns are heard. This project will be a bitter pill to swallow, but it is clearly necessary and I will continue to advocate that it is done in the least disruptive possible way.”